Biden accuses Putin: Has committed genocide
Of:
Manne Berggren Wiklund
PUBLISHED: LESS THAN 3 HOURS AGO
UPDATED: LESS THAN 2 HOURS AGO
NEWS
Last night, Joe Biden said that Vladimir Putin is a dictator who has committed genocide in Ukraine.
This is the first time Biden has used that word about the war in Ukraine.
"Before Washington condemns other countries for violating human rights, they should address their own problems," the Russian ambassador to the United States said.
During the night, US President Joe Biden swung at Putin from a fuel plant in Iowa.
In his speech, he said that the high fuel prices are Russia's fault. But it was another accusation that provoked the biggest reactions.
"Your family's budget and your ability to fill the gas tank should not be affected by a dictator starting a war and committing genocide on the other side of the world," Joe Biden told NPR.
French forensic staff on site in Butja to investigate war crimes. Here they stand by a mass grave in the city.
"Russia has done terrible things"
Genocide is a word that the United States has historically been very reluctant to use, this is the eighth event in world history that the United States officially calls genocide.
After the speech, Biden received questions from the journalist corps about why he suddenly says so, when it has been proven that genocide has been committed.
- Yes, I called it a genocide. It is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is trying to eradicate the very possibility of being Ukrainian, says Biden.
He goes on to say that there is more and more evidence of Putin's and the Russian army's crimes in Ukraine.
- More evidence is coming of the literally terrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine. And we will only see more and more about the devastation, says Biden.
Biden at the airport in Des Moines where he made the statement inront of a large press contingent.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP
Russia's answer: Solve your own problems first
Following Biden's speech, Russia's Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, published a telegram message. He says that the US accusations against Russia are unfounded and clichéd.
"Before Washington condemns other countries for violating human rights, they should address their own problems."
The ambassador goes on to list a number of examples.
"Racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other signs of intolerance are becoming more common in the United States. How local authorities treat immigrants is a serious problem. "Washington is trying to hide the fact that they are torturing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay."
"There are many more examples that the international community should pay attention to due to the human rights situation in the United States," the Russian ambassador wrote.
Putin in Russia on Tuesday. In the background is Belarus's dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Photo: Evgeny Biyatov / AP
International law expert: Too bad he said genocide
International law professor Ove Bring thinks it is a pity that Biden states that it is a genocide that has been committed when it has not been proven.
- I think it's a bit of a shame. To say that something is a genocide, one must know that the purpose and idea behind the deed is to destroy an ethnic group. It's hard to prove. It is therefore a pity that the word is misused and that there is a political desire to use that word because it is effective, even when it is not possible to prove that a genocide has been committed, says Ove Bring.
This said without underestimating Russia's actions in Ukraine, the deeds are disgusting, but it would have been enough to say a crime against humanity. It is just as serious, says Ove Bring.
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